


Over and Over I Fall for You

by alexofmacedonia, misssuchaflirt



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexofmacedonia/pseuds/alexofmacedonia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/misssuchaflirt/pseuds/misssuchaflirt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla has BIG plans for her tiny gay girlfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration between myself and my friend Mackenzie [misssuchaflirt], with some input from our friend Pats (erzatscarlet on tumblr). Thank you to my amazing beta aurorscully, as always.
> 
> This fic grew to be close to 6000 words, so we decided to give y'all half of this today and half on actual Valentine's Day, so stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion to this story!
> 
> The fic title comes from 'Over and Over' by Three Days Grace.

“You’re really giving it your all tonight, huh?” LaFontaine teased. 

“For Laura, you know I’d move heaven and earth. Now will you be here to—” 

“Yes, yes, I’ll be there after six to do the thing.” 

Carmilla smiled, something she noticed she was doing more and more lately thanks to a certain tiny brunette in her life. “Good. Okay. I’ll leave you to whatever other plans you have with the neat freak.” 

She’d been cordial with Laura’s ginger squad, maybe bordering on actual friendship for a few years now - something Carmilla would only admit to after several glasses of wine. Yet even now, saying an actual thank you felt like swallowing glass. Luckily LaFontaine could read between the lines. “You’re welcome, Vampira. And good luck.” 

"…Thank you,” she replied softly. She ended the call on that note, before LaFontaine could get anything else mushy out of her. 

It was just in time, too. Her ears perked up as she heard Laura’s beat up, rust-colored Jeep making its way up their driveway. She wished Laura would sell that metal death trap already, but she knew after a number of previous arguments that it was a lost cause. 

Carmilla locked her phone and shoved it in her back pocket. She grabbed a couple things she’d bought earlier that day from town and went to meet Laura at the door. 

* * *

Laura was deep in thought as she parked her car and grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat.  _Remember, Hollis, just because you two had a nice time last year and the year before that, doesn’t mean she’s obligated to even remember what day it is this year._  Laura Hollis, Feminist Extraordinaire, made sure to do mental checks like this every so often to remind herself that just because two people are in a relationship, no one is  _obligated_  to do anything for anyone else, on any day of the year, holiday or otherwise. 

“Holiday, schmoliday,” that’s what Carmilla would say. Laura had long given up trying to make her girlfriend have any kind of spirit for them, as any mention of Christmas or the like would send Carmilla into a half-hour-long rant about commercialization, capitalism, and how ‘no one in this age appreciates what it used to mean.’ 

Still, a girl could hold onto a sliver of hope. 

She dug through an outside pocket of her bag as she approached the house, pulling a key out right as she reached the steps leading up to the door. The heavy oak door opened easily and revealed Carmilla standing in the entryway. 

It took a second for Laura to register that her girlfriend was actually standing there holding a single rose and a shiny, heart-shaped box of chocolates. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, cutie.” 

Even a sliver of hope was enough, sometimes. 

Laura laughed and dropped her bag in the corner, closing the door behind her. “You remembered!” She stepped closer to Carmilla, accepting the rose and chocolates with a soft smile. Her brow furrowed as she went to smell the rose, and was met with no scent. “You bought me a…  _fake_  flower?” 

Carmilla drew her in, taking Laura’s hand in hers and running her thumb over the tips of Laura’s closed fingers and the plastic stem. “Well, I thought you’d appreciate the sentiment of something that can last forever.” She leaned her head forward to touch their foreheads together. “Forever, which is just as long as my love for you will last.” 

Her reply was a snort and a kiss. “You’re such a sap, Carm. How no one else ever sees that is beyond me.” 

“Well, I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I’ll lose my air of mystery, won’t I?” 

Laura wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s neck and kissed her again. “I love you, you romantic dork. Happy Valentine’s Day, Carm.” 

"If you think  _this_  was romantic, just wait ‘til you see what else I have in store for you tonight.” Carmilla grinned and stepped out of her girlfriend’s embrace. “We have reservations for dinner, so be ready to go in half an hour,” she added with a light swat to Laura’s butt. 

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Laura was still getting dressed. All she knew about their dinner was that she should ‘dress up’, so obviously her usual light-blue jeans and button-up were too casual. 

She held a shimmery blue dress in front of herself and glanced in the full-length mirror by her dresser.  _Why does this seem like it’s so last week? Oh right, because you literally wore it just last week for a work function._  The dress was tossed to the side to add to the ever-growing pile of dresses and skirts. 

Finally, her eyes lay upon the perfect dress hiding toward the back of her closet. It was a watermelon shade of pink, sleeveless, with a porcelain-colored band just under the bust to accentuate her chest and hips. She remembered the first time she wore it a couple years before, how Carmilla could barely keep her eyes off her. With a sly grin, she hoped it would have a similar effect tonight. 

Careful not to knock her hair out of its bun, she slid the dress up and over her head, managing to get the zipper up most of the way so the dress wouldn’t fall down. 

Now to decide on shoes. Laura pushed the remaining hanging dresses and blouses to the side to reveal her vast shoe collection. Automatically crossing out her tennis shoes and boots, her eyes lingered over the flats and low heels. No, she needed to really amp up her sexy factor tonight. She spied a pair of heels that would give her just enough arch to really bring out her calf muscles, since the hem of her dress only reached just past her knees.

The heels slid onto her feet easily, and Laura breathed a sigh of relief that they fit. She’d never really had a reason to wear heels, so she couldn’t remember if she’d broken this pair in. She then stuffed her cell phone in a little black clutch, and hurried out of the bedroom and down the hallway toward the stairs. An antique grandfather clock at the end of the hallway told her that she had taken way longer than she was supposed to, so she picked up her pace. 

As she rounded the corner to the stairs, the stiletto of one heel caught a rug just so, sending it flying out from under her and she went careening toward the top of the stairs. Laura yelped and braced herself for the fall, bringing her arms up to protect her head.

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her suddenly, preventing her fall. “Careful there, cupcake. I can’t always be here to save you,” Carmilla drawled.

Laura turned herself around in her arms and clutched her tightly. She could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute, the sudden adrenaline spike causing her body to shake like a leaf in a wind storm. “Oh my god, thank you. If I hadn’t been rushing because I realized how late we are, I would have turned that corner slower and probably wouldn’t have almost fallen, and... Just, thank you for always being here,” she murmured into Carmilla’s shoulder.

They broke their embrace after a few more moments, at which time Carmilla finally looked Laura up and down, her eyes appreciatively taking in the way her dress clung to her curves in the right places, how her hairdo showed off the smooth skin of Laura’s shoulders, upper back, and neck. When her eyes reached Laura’s shoes, Carmilla quirked one eyebrow skyward. “I didn’t know you even owned a pair like these. I like what they’re doing to your legs,” she purred with a smirk.

Laura let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, well, maybe the fact that I just almost fell down the stairs should remind me why I never wear them.” She took her turn looking at Carmilla’s outfit: black skinny jeans - but not the ripped ones she normally wore; these actually looked new – that tucked into black lace-up boots; a slim gray jacket that buttoned once in the middle of her torso; and a black vest with vertical stripes over a white button-up shirt. Carmilla had rolled the sleeves of her jacket and dress shirt up to her elbows, and boy if all of this didn’t make Laura want to turn right back around and march her girlfriend straight into their bedroom. What really almost solidified that decision was Carmilla’s hair. Laura had gotten so used to her wearing it down that she forgot what Carm looked like when she did her hair. It was loosely pulled back and allowed to cascade over one shoulder, all curls and mess and...  _No, stop that, Hollis. She has a special night planned for us, and you can’t go ruining that by_ ruining _her clothes and hair._  Laura reached up to run her fingers along Carmilla’s bangs. “You look beautiful.”

Carmilla smiled shyly. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line? You’re the one in the dress, buttercup. Speaking of which...” She spun Laura around and pulled the zipper up the rest of the way. "Now you're perfect."

The threat of falling past, and Laura’s nerves having finally calmed down, they walked hand-in-hand down the stairs and out to Carmilla’s sleek black Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.

Buckling herself in to the passenger seat, Laura threw a slightly worried glance over at her girlfriend. “So I know this can go over two hundred miles an hour, but please respect speed limits. It isn’t worth us getting in a wreck just to not be late for a reservation.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it nice and easy,” Carmilla chuckled. “Our reservation isn’t for another half hour; I only told you to be ready in thirty because I knew you’d take an hour like you usually do.”

Laura groaned at how well she knew her.

* * *

There was so much excitement emanating from the passenger side in Perry’s sensible little four-door that it was like a new element had been discovered. She pulled right up to the front steps of Casa Karnstein, and LaFontaine immediately jumped out like a kid going to the zoo, not even waiting for her to put the car in park. Perry turned the car off and reached down to pop the trunk latch.

“I’m surprised Carmilla got Laura out of the house on time; normally they’re at least a half hour behind schedule,” LaFontaine joked as Perry joined them, opening the trunk. 

She shook her head and crossed her arms. “Do you think it was really necessary to buy fifteen boxes? Couldn’t we have done this with, I don’t know,  _five_?”

LaFontaine shrugged and grabbed the first box. “That’s how many Carmilla told me to buy. Well... I mean, she said,  _‘Enough to blanket the house from the front door to the bedroom,’_ and I took that to mean just buy as many as I could. Now come on, we have decorating to do.”

* * *

In her more than three hundred years of life, Carmilla Karnstein was positive she had never been this happy. They pulled up to  _Parmi les Étoiles,_  and Carmilla tossed her keys to the waiting valet. They had eaten at nice restaurants before, but the way Laura’s eyes sparkled as she took in  _just how nice_ this place was, made her heart swell with pride. The fortune she inherited after Maman’s death may have been originally procured in questionable ways, but that just made her all the happier to lavishly spend it on her girlfriend.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she mentally added a footnote to that thought, hoping that before the end of the night ‘girlfriend’ could be become ‘fiancée’ instead.

“Carm, this place is... is... it’s  _wow_ , is what it is,” Laura whispered as the maître d’ escorted them to a far corner table.

They took their seats facing each other. With a flourish, the maître d’ presented them with a menu each, bowed, and walked back to the front of the restaurant. Within seconds a waiter approached their table, bowed his head, and introduced himself as Steven. “Might I interest you ladies in a drink while you decide on your meal?”

She always ordered prime rib – medium rare; she didn’t like it dripping to the point that she couldn’t enjoy the quality meat closest to what she’d prefer to eat – so Carmilla knew exactly what kind of wine to order. “A bottle of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon, thank you.”

The sommelier quickly appeared, introducing himself as Patrick, and presented the bottle of wine to Carmilla. Her eyes glanced over the label, noting that it was the right one before nodding. Patrick opened the bottle and poured a sample for Carmilla to taste. She savored the bouquet before lifting the glass to her mouth and taking a mouthful. Allowing the flavor to wash over her tongue before swallowing, she nodded her final approval. She looked pointedly over at Laura, signaling Patrick to pour her girlfriend’s glass first, followed only then by her own. With a bow, he left the bottle with them and departed.

Steven returned quickly to take their dinner orders, further impressing Carmilla with the speed and efficiency of this place. She decided it might just be her favored destination for fancy dinners from now on.

The meal went by quickly as they chowed down on their steaks; Laura had felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of menu choices, so she had opted to get what Carmilla was ordering, albeit well done instead of rare.

The intensity of Carmilla’s gaze on Laura increased as the meal went on. She wondered multiple times if it’s possible to fall twice, ten, a hundred times more in love with a person just by the way they smile, the way their hands move as they’re recounting a story, the way their eyes roll back in their head as they taste the perfect sautéed mushrooms that were paired with their steak.

Carmilla had to bite back a smile when, in the midst of recalling that one summer they’d spent in Paris, Laura seemed to forget she was holding her fork and accidentally speared her arm with the tines. She yelped in surprise, but quickly reassured Carmilla that she’s fine, because  _really_ , what harm could just a little fork do?

They decided on a little slice of gourmet chocolate cake for dessert. The way Laura moaned as Carmilla fed her a bite should be considered illegal in nine different countries. 

The way Laura leaned forward to lick a stray drop of frosting from the corner of Carmilla’s mouth probably  _was_  illegal.

A veritable cyclone of butterflies was threatening to burst out of her when she told Laura they needed to get going. It was drawing closer to the time of her next surprise, and Carmilla didn’t know how this night could possibly get better than it already was, but somehow she was certain it would, and her heart was riding high.

Much later, when Steven the waiter went to clear the table, he found a hastily handwritten note on top of a stack of twenty dollar bills poking out from under a napkin.  _Thank you for helping make tonight one of the best nights in my life. Treat yourself to something nice. –C_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find us on tumblr - bibecamitchell and misssuchaflirt


	2. Chapter 2

A cool gust of wind blew over them as they exited the restaurant, causing Laura to shiver. Carmilla noticed, of course, and made a tutting noise with her tongue.

“I thought maybe you just left it in the car when we got here, but you left your coat at home, didn’t you?”

Laura ducked her head. “I thought we were late, and I was still a little shaken from almost falling, so... yeah.” She turned to look at Carmilla, but she had already walked over to the valet. They exchanged a few words, and she saw her girlfriend press something into the young man’s hand before she sauntered back to Laura.

Carmilla took her coat off and put it around Laura’s shoulders. “There, that should keep you warm.” She started walking away from the restaurant, toward the corner of the street. “Now come along, creampuff,” she said over her shoulder, a smile in her voice.

“Wait, is he bringing the car around?” Laura asked as she rushed to catch up.

She laughed before responding, “I have another surprise waiting for you, if you’ll just follow me.”

They walked a few blocks further into the city, their hands linked and swinging between them. It was peaceful, just letting Carmilla take the lead and spoil her with candlelit dinners and such. Laura felt she could get used to this kind of treatment, and thought to herself to insist they do this more often. 

Turning a final corner, she gasped when she saw they were headed straight for a white, open top horse carriage, complete with a footman dressed in a silly outfit like one sees in movies. "Carm, you didn't."

"I did, sweetheart. Here, let me help you up." Carmilla held out her hand and steadied Laura as she climbed into the seat. When she was situated beside her, her arm sliding around Laura's back to draw her close, the driver looked over his shoulder. 

"Ready, ladies?"

"I've never been more ready," Carmilla replied. Laura noted in the back of her mind that that seemed an odd way to phrase it, but in the moment she was just so happy to have the best girlfriend ever. 

The horse (white to match the carriage) walked along at a slow enough gait that they could sit back and take in all of the beautiful downtown buildings decked out for Valentine's. 

After a few minutes, they turned into the historic district. Carmilla leaned even closer to whisper all of the facts she knew as they passed the rows of old, important houses and landmarks. Even after all these years, Laura still marveled at how smart Carm was. Laura's own brain had never been one to remember dates and stuff, so it impressed her that Carmilla could rattle off this kind of information at the drop of a hat.

This old part of the city had been built around a river that had served as its major source of import, and the way city lights reflected off the water reminded Laura of the stars that Carmilla loved so much. She mentioned this out loud, and Carmilla just smiled and pulled her face to hers for a deep kiss. "Not as much as I love you," she said, and that had to have been the biggest compliment of Laura's young life. 

By the time the horse came back to where they'd started the ride, Laura was sure she'd spent more time gazing at the profile of Carmilla's face than paying attention to the sights, but she didn't care. Carmilla was like a fine wine, and Laura was drunk in love.

* * *

Ten minutes later, a text message interrupted Danny from telling Kirsch exactly why her gift to him was better than his gift to her. (They really did appreciate each other's gifts, but somehow everything turned into a competition with them, and they wouldn't have it any other way.)

"Carmilla says they just got back to their car, and we're to be at the house at ten," she said.

Kirsch nodded. "Cool. So like, she isn't waiting 'til we get there to do it, right? We can walk in and be all 'Congrats!' and she won't get mad at me for spoiling it?"

Danny rolled her eyes. "That's why we have over an hour before we get there. Oh, and we should bring beer."

"Sweet. I'll run up to the store and get two cases of Bud."

"Wait, why are we drinking your piss beer? We should get two cases of Coors."

They both jumped up and bickered all the way to the car.                

* * *

Laura had expected the carriage ride to be her last surprise of the evening, so she gasped when she opened their front door to reveal a blood-red river of rose petals covering the floor of the entryway and disappearing up the stairs, presumably to their bedroom.

"You're just full of surprises tonight, aren't you?"

Carmilla chuckled. "The night is still young, cutie," she said, and with that, she scooped Laura up bridal-style. Laura wrapped her arms around Carmilla's neck and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips didn't break contact until they reached their bedroom and Laura was set gently on the foot of their bed.

Looking around her, Laura's jaw dropped as she realized her clothes had been put away and the room was coated in even more rose petals. "I left this place a mess earlier. Wha-- Who did you pay to do these petals?"

Her girlfriend had crossed the room to fiddle with her music player on a speaker dock. "I asked the ginger twins to help, since my vampiric speed has its limits. Perry probably jumped at the chance to straighten things up," and Laura swore she heard a little affection in those words.

Just then, romantic music from a bygone era started playing. Carmilla sashayed back across the room toward Laura, who stood to meet her, quickly tossing Carmilla’s jacket onto the bed. In an echo of the first moment Laura admitted to herself she had feelings for this woman, they stood face to face, chest to chest, with one of Carmilla's hands on her hip and the other holding her hand.

They danced a few steps of a waltz before Laura stopped and threw both arms around Carmilla's neck and kissed her. She darted her tongue across Carmilla's lip, who eagerly granted her access and in turn pulled her impossibly closer.

Is this what heaven felt like? Holding the most amazing woman in the world, surrounded by a million flowers and beautiful, soft music; kissing her girlfriend and _finally_ messing up her girlfriend’s hair as she weaved her fingers into it.... Laura believed that if she died right now, it would be okay because she would have gotten to experience true happiness.

Carmilla pulled away, earning a soft groan from Laura. "I know I keep saying this, but I have yet another surprise for you."  
  
Holding in another groan, because _really Hollis, are you going to get mad that your amazing girlfriend keeps doing things to make you fall even harder for her_ , Laura allowed Carmilla to step out of their embrace and walk over to the window.  
  
"Let's step out here for a bit," she said. Carmilla pulled the window pane up until it was enough of an opening for them to step through.  
  
Laura glanced wistfully at the bed and the fantasy of Carmilla, naked and writhing underneath her, drifted away. Trying not to show how disappointed she was that they weren’t about to make very sweet love right that second, Laura joined her girlfriend at the window. “What’s the surprise?”

“We’re going to stargaze,” Carmilla answered, and then she was out on the roof, her hand extended to help Laura step through. After a couple failed attempts to get her knees up to the windowsill, Carmilla laughed softly. “Hurry up; we don’t want to miss the stars.”

This prompted Laura to grunt. “The stars will still be out there for like nine more hours. Give me a break; I’m still wearing these stupid heels that I thought you’d like.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, but Laura knew she was just excited for whatever she had planned. “I’m sorry; you’re right. Here, let me...” She leaned in and looped her arm around Laura’s waist, pulling her straight through, and set her down. Laura stumbled backward a little before she was once again steadied by strong hands. “Twice in one night? Let’s not make this a habit, eh cutie?”

Laura giggled and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, again. I’ll do my best.”

They sat down, their backs to the outside wall and their legs splayed out before them. Carmilla had chosen this house for multiple reasons: First, it was far enough away from any neighbors so that they could live in seclusion, and they could avoid suspicion based on Carmilla’s sleeping habits and eternal youth. Second, their house was surrounded by so much farmland and woods that there was almost no light pollution in the night sky, and the stars seemed to stretch out into eternity before them. Finally, the third floor was built so that it sat smaller than the first two floors, and so the roof was at enough of a flat angle that they could climb out and stargaze from outside their bedroom any time they wanted.

Remembering all of the nights where she’d woken to find the bed half empty, only to find Carmilla out on the roof, Laura thought, _I’m glad she’s found her favorite place._

“It’s only my favorite place because you’re here with me,” Carmilla murmured against her hair, pressing a light kiss there. Laura blushed, realizing she’d spoken out loud.

“I thought you only needed me around because, ‘who else would buy the cupcakes, cupcake?’”

They both smiled at the memory, and then Carmilla softly said, “I need you for much more than that now, my love.”

Most nights that they did this, Carmilla would point at certain clumps of stars and tell Laura which constellation it was, followed by the myth behind the name. She never seemed to mind that she was retelling some of the stories probably ten times over, and Laura never minded hearing them again and again. Tonight they both seemed content to sit in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.

Maybe it was because it was winter, or maybe it was because Laura had never been more in love in her life, but the stars seemed brighter than they had ever been.

Time passed and the moon crept higher into the sky. Strains of Carmilla’s fancy dancing mix drifted through the window, and Laura could hear her humming along under her breath. She started to reach over to grab her hand, but looked up instead. Carmilla’s face was bathed by moonlight, impossibly beautiful. It was one of those rare moments when she’d catch Carmilla with the faintest trace of a smile, looking so happy and calm. Sure, the stars were gorgeous, but not nearly as gorgeous as Carmilla.

Her girlfriend turned to look at her, the smile growing wider by the second. “Yeah?”

“Oh crap, I did it again, didn’t I?” Laura blushed furiously and looked down, embarrassed that she couldn’t seem to keep her inner thoughts _inside_ her head. When she cautioned a glance back up, she saw Carmilla still staring, still smiling.

“Dork.”

“Whatever, you love me.”

“Yes, I do.”

Carmilla kissed her, and Laura could feel every ounce of how much she really did love her in that simple gesture. When they finally pulled away to breathe, Laura leaned her head on Carmilla’s shoulder to continue looking out at the twinkling blanket of sky before them.

* * *

“Hey, Perr, have you seen my video camera?”

“I put it in the top left drawer of your desk!”

LaFontaine smacked their forehead. Of course; that’s the most logical place to put it, so that’s the first place Perry would think to put it and the last place they’d think to look. They ran down the hall to the spare bedroom and quickly located the camera, checking to make sure it was charged and had a memory card inside.

As they returned to the kitchen, they spied Perry fondly admiring the macaroni Valentine’s card they had made her. It read, _‘Are you Uranium? Because U and I have great chemistry’_ , and was a giant heart with lots of little hearts everywhere.

She looked up as they entered and smiled. “Ready to go, honey?”

They grinned and waved the camera back and forth. “Yup. I can’t wait to see Laura’s face and that huge rock on her finger.”

Perry nodded. “Oh yes, they’re both going to be so happy. It’ll be a pleasant change from Carmilla’s usual attitude.” She grabbed a bottle of champagne that sat on the kitchen counter and a small box that contained emergency packets of hot cocoa and bottles of aspirin. “It’s almost ten, so let’s get over to Danny’s.”

* * *

_"Dork.”_

_“Whatever, you love me.”_

_“Yes, I do.”_

Carmilla kept playing this exchange in her mind as they sat there, backs against the cool wall and hands firmly grasped between them. She had allowed her mind to wander, imagining how everything would change once Laura uttered the one word she always knew she would, _‘Yes.’_

She could picture children playing on a swing set in the backyard, with Laura, in her ridiculous sun hat, working on her flowers in that fenced-off garden she’d insisted on planting last fall.

Turning her head just a fraction, she laid another soft kiss against Laura’s hair.

_I really can’t wait for you to say yes._

That’s when she bolted upright and swore under her breath. Laura made confused sounds beside her, which she ignored as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. _9:55._

 _Shit_.

“I forgot that I still have a second part to this surprise. Stay here...” she trailed off while standing up, trying to think if she still had time before the wonder squad showed up, or if she’d have to do this in front of everyone.

Upon remembering that the giant male puppy was part of the group, she resolved that she’d have to do this first. And fast.

“Carm?” Laura had risen as well, and was eying her curiously.

“Sorry. Uh, stay here for just a moment. I’ll be right back.” Without another word, Carmilla ducked inside the house and raced down to the first floor. She had known when she bought the ring that she couldn’t just keep it in her sock drawer, since Laura was just a little too snoopy for her own good when holidays came around. She knew where she’d never think to snoop though, and so the ring sat hidden inside a nondescript shoe box in the top of the closet of Laura’s own office.

As she dragged a chair over to the closet, she resumed humming along to Émile Waldteufel’s _The Skater’s Waltz_.

—

“Kirsch, I swear to God. If you insult my beer one more time, I will pull this car over and dump you out on the side of this back road, and you can find your own damn way to Laura’s.”

“Oh, I’m sorry; did you really think your weak beer is better than mine? Maybe we should put this to a vote.” He pulled the sun visor down to look in the mirror at the backseat occupants.

Perry stuttered uncomfortably. “Oh, were you... Did you mean us?”

Danny shook her head and flicked the signal to make the last turn to Laura and Carmilla’s house.

* * *

Crossing her arms over her chest, Laura shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for Carmilla to return. Just as she thought about sitting back down, she heard the sound of a car pulling up.

Curious, she tiptoed to the edge of the roof and leaned around the corner of the house to see the driveway. “Danny’s car...?” A light bulb clicked on. Maybe this was Carm’s surprise! She heard car doors open and close, and turned to hurry back inside the house to go greet her friends.

In her excitement, she forgot she was wearing heels she wasn’t used to, and turned too quickly.

Laura’s feet stumbled as she lost her balance, and she toppled backwards.

“Carm!”

* * *

Something that sounded like scrambling reached Carmilla’s ears, but she thought she imagined the noise. Rather, she hoped she imagined it. She didn’t want Laura to tease her again about how she should shift into her panther form to catch some stray rats that had made a home under the house.

With the ring box safely in her hands, she pushed the chair back in its place and turned to go back up to the bedroom.

“Carm!”

Now _that_ she definitely did not imagine. She started to run back toward the stairs but knew she was too far away if Laura had fallen.

She dashed toward the back door.

* * *

The dark ground rushed toward her, the metal fence surrounding her garden directly underneath. With a sickening squelch, the metal spikes punched through Laura’s body. Carmilla’s name formed on her lips, but she had no more breath to say it.

Her world went black.

* * *

“Carm!”

They had just gotten out of the car, arms laden with party supplies, when they heard the scream. LaFontaine and Danny looked at each other for a split second before rushing around the side of the house toward the backyard.

As soon as they rounded the corner, they saw a black streak run out of the back door and over to a metal fence.

It took a moment for the group to process what they were seeing.

Carmilla running over to a light-colored form dangling from the top of one end of the fence....

Carmilla grabbing something on the form and crying....

They realized it was a hand. Carmilla was grabbing a hand....

 _Laura_.

Danny fell to her knees and started sobbing.

Glass shattered on the stone patio as the champagne bottle slipped out of Perry’s hand.

LaFontaine stood frozen in place, their hand that was holding the camera hanging limply at their side.

Kirsch stood there with a case of beer in each hand, jaw hanging loose and water tearing up in his eyes.

* * *

Carmilla knelt in the dirt beside her girlfriend’s garden, crying from the deepest reaches of her soul. She held Laura’s hand to her forehead, feeling as if her own life had just ended too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want a happy ending, continue on to the 'third' chapter here, where we wrote a happy alternate ending.
> 
> come find us on tumblr - bibecamitchell and misssuchaflirt


	3. the HAPPY version

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for the incredibly sad, feels-inducing ending of this fic, I asked the group if it would be okay to do an alternate, happy ending. So here you go, starting off with the last full paragraph of the fic that stays the same.

“Kirsch, I swear to God. If you insult my beer one more time, I will pull this car over and dump you out on the side of this back road, and you can find your own damn way to Laura’s.”

“Oh, I’m sorry; did you really think your weak beer is better than mine? Maybe we should put this to a vote.” He pulled the sun visor down to look in the mirror at the backseat occupants.

Perry stuttered uncomfortably. “Oh, were you... Did you mean us?”

Danny shook her head and flicked the signal to make the last turn to Laura and Carmilla’s house.

* * *

Crossing her arms over her chest, Laura shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for Carmilla to return. Just as she thought about sitting back down, she heard the sound of a car pulling up.

Curious, she tiptoed to the edge of the roof and leaned around the corner of the house to see the driveway. “Danny’s car...?” A light bulb clicked on. Maybe this was Carm’s surprise! She heard car doors open and close, and turned to hurry back inside the house to go greet her friends.

In her excitement, she forgot she was wearing heels she wasn’t used to, and turned too quickly. She stumbled forward a couple steps and caught herself on the wall. _Way to be, Hollis; better get rid of these death shoes._ Laura removed her feet from the heels and tossed them into the bedroom ahead of her. She found that climbing back inside was easier without them, and berated herself for not just taking them off earlier.

She squealed as she raced barefoot down two flights of stairs.

* * *

With the ring box safely in her hands, Carmilla pushed the chair back in its place and turned to go back up to the bedroom.

A pink streak bolted down the stairs, straight for the front door. She heard Laura open the door, saying, “Yay, you’re all here!” and her friends all cheer in greeting.

_Dammit, not yet!_

“So, let’s see it!” She heard LaFontaine exclaim, and Carmilla arrived in the entryway to see that they had their video camera at the ready.

Laura blinked and cocked her head to the side. “See what?”

Carmilla cleared her throat. "They mean this."

Laura turned around to find Carmilla kneeling down on one knee, displaying the open ring box on one palm. She gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

"Oh my God, Carm...." she whispered.

"Laura, I love you so much. Sometimes, I think, more than you or I will ever fully know. You saw the best in me when I was at my worst, and never truly stopped believing in me." Carmilla's voice grew thick with emotion. "Sweetheart, when I picture my future, I can't imagine it without you. Without you, there is no me. You're the great expanse of space to my stars."

She pulled the ring out of its box and reached for Laura's hand, whom immediately let her take it. Carmilla slid the ring just over her fingertip, and continued. "Laura, will you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes!" Laura blurted out. She pushed her finger forward, and the ring was a perfect fit. Carmilla let herself be pulled up into a tight hug. “Of course my answer is yes,” Laura whispered. She pulled back and grabbed Carmilla’s face, peppering it with kisses from her cheeks to her nose to her eyelids and finally to her lips. “My answer will always be yes.”

Carmilla had lied to herself earlier. _This_ was the happiest she had ever been in her three hundred plus years.

The happy couple finally turned to look at their friends. LaFontaine gave them a thumbs up with their free hand and Perry and Danny rushed forward to hug Laura and coo over the ring, while Kirsch set two cases of beer down by his feet and offered Carmilla a high five.

After a couple minutes of listening to Perry cry over how beautiful the ring was, and how sweet the proposal was, Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Okay, who’s ready to celebrate?” She grabbed the bottle of champagne from Perry’s hands and led the way to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find us on tumblr - bibecamitchell and misssuchaflirt


	4. Post-Proposal Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy an extra scene, which takes place after the happy ending of this fic, where everyone celebrates the Hollstein engagement!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Mackenzie [misssuchaflirt].

_Stupid Kirsch and his stupid piss beer._

Danny eyed her opponent as he took another beer can from his case.

_Idiot. Does he really think he’ll win?_

At some point during the night, the couple agreed to keep a tally on the amount of cans taken from each other’s beer cases. She knew it was childish and unnecessary, but fuck Kirsch and his stupid piss beer.

_Coors is way better._

Danny downed the remaining contents of her drink before sauntering over to the beer cases placed on the kitchen counter. She reached for another can with one hand, and grabbed the pen sitting there with the other. She then marked another tally under the section ‘Coors’. Her eyes skimmed through the paper, noting how Coors was in the lead.

Coors – 8

Bud – 7

_Ha! Take that, asshole._

Yes, a one point lead wasn’t much, but it was still a lead and that fact alone was enough for Danny.

Satisfied with the tally, Danny tossed her empty beer can in the recycling bin and walked back into the living room. The television was now on some science channel, or was it a medical channel? She forgot which, talking about hemoglobin and blood deficiencies. She didn't even have to guess who changed the channel because they were there sitting on the couch, remote in hand, and eyes glued to the screen. She scanned the room for Kirsch, and spotted him talking to the newly engaged couple, who were huddled together at the far end of their expensive, sleek black couch.

_They’re so disgusting._

Nevertheless, she was happy for them.

Danny decided to let Kirsch continue his conversation with the fiancées and took a seat next to LaFontaine as she opened her new can of beer. She was drunk, and she knew this because she could no longer taste the bitterness of the alcohol.

_I hope Perry brought her emergency kit… Of course she did, it's Perry._

It still surprised Danny how well she could think even when drunk.

_Talent, I guess._

“You two are going to be incredibly hung over tomorrow.”

“What?”

Danny turned her head to the right, and LaFontaine nodded to the can in Danny’s hand.

“You drank four cans. That’s your fifth.”

Danny glanced at her can before meeting LaFontaine’s eyes again.

“You’re also gonna have a major headache tomorrow.”

As a response, she waved them off before taking a large swig of the beer. LaFontaine shook their head and faced the television again.

* * *

"Congrats on the engagement!"

"Kirsch, you've already told us that... I think, like, five times now," Laura chuckled before taking another sip of her champagne. She shifted her weight on the couch, trying to find a more comfortable position before leaning back into Carmilla's embrace.

"Thirteen to be exact," Carmilla piped in, hoping the overgrown puppy would stop talking. If she had only remembered how he was when drunk, she probably wouldn't have invited him along with the ginger giant.

"Oh right, right, sorry. To drink too much I've had."

Kirsch looked a bit mortified by that sentence, but he was also too drunk to really care. Laura just giggled, while Carmilla bit back a laugh.

_Yeah, you really should stop talking. Where's Danny?_

Kirsch finally took a good look at his surroundings. Everything was too bright in his opinion. Also, was the room spinning?

He caught a glimpse of red hair and started walking towards that direction. He stumbled a few times, almost face planting on Carmilla and Laura’s small coffee table. After three failed attempts at taking a sip from his beer and ruining his flannel in the process, Kirsch finally got the opening to his mouth.

_Eh, it’s not like this is my favorite shirt._

After a few more steps and a dramatic drop to the couch, he was seated next to Danny.

“Whoa, watch it dumbass! You could’ve spilled your piss beer all over me!”

“Yeah? Well, I didn’t. So you can just take your lame ass beer can, and shove it up _your_ ass.”

“Kirsch, I swear to God!”

They bickered for a few minutes before someone clearing their throat interrupted them. They both turned to look at LaFontaine.

“Look, I know you two are both competing and trying to win the gold in the 2015 AlcohOlympics, but I can’t hear the television, and if I raise the volume any higher, Carmilla will have my head. So, can you two please shut the fuck up.”

They knew it was a lost cause when it came to these two knuckleheads, but it was worth a shot. They were pleasantly surprised when Danny and Kirsch actually stopped talking.

The couple leaned back on the couch and simultaneously drank from their cans of beer.

* * *

_They really need to learn how to tidy up around here._

Perry was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes Carmilla had failed to wash that morning. She knew her services were not needed, but damn her incredible cleaning habits.

_She's 341 years old. She should be responsible enough to clean these dishes._

But, after years of knowing Carmilla, she knew it was hopeless. Perry doesn't really mind, she _did_ in fact decide to be the responsible one that night.... Well, she's always responsible, but that wasn’t the point.

She had to stay sober.

Not that she was the kind to drink until drunk, but cleaning kept her busy and not drinking.

She spied something red in the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw Danny walking towards the kitchen counter. Perry's eyes were on her as she picked up the pen sitting there. It took everything in Perry's power to not sigh dramatically at these two overgrown children.

_So ridiculous, those two! Competing over who has the better beer. Absolutely childish! What is the benefit after winning anyway?!_

She may never know.

Clink!

_Well, at least she recycled._

Perry had just finished rinsing the dishes, and was then removing the dried ones from the dishwasher. Taking another glance towards the living room, she spotted Kirsch as he stumbled his way towards Danny, with a drink in his hand.

_I swear, if he spills beer all over that new rug I gave Laura a week ago, he's going to be joining Will._

Luckily, Kirsch had managed to take his seat without much trouble, though he did spill some of his drink on himself.

_Good thing I brought my emergency kit._

During nights like this, most of them would end up drunk, and the morning after would be filled with cursing and groaning because of headaches and disoriented minds, but luckily they had Perry. She knew exactly what to do in situations like this. She was always prepared, and it paid off at the end when she saw the delighted looks they gave her when she offered them aspirin and some of her "heaven sent" hot chocolate.

_Hopefully there's some bread so I can make them toast for tomorrow as well._

Perry finished up the dishes and decided that she would join her group of nerds. She walked into the living room to find Laura and Carmilla missing.

_Probably off celebrating some more.... I think I have ear plugs in my emergency kit._

LaFontaine had fallen asleep in an upright position. The television was still on, and the remote was secured in their hand. Their lips were slightly parted, and drool threatened to escape. Danny and Kirsch had also fallen asleep, but on top of each other like a ridiculous pile of sleeping puppies. She let out a soft laugh at the sight of them.

Perry walked over to the closet, just down the hallway near the kitchen, and retrieved a blanket and two pillows. She came back to drape the blanket over the sleeping couple, and placed a pillow underneath both their heads. Next she walked over to the television and manually turned it off. With a little bit of cooing and shaking, she woke up LaFontaine.

"C'mon honey. Let's go to the guest room. I'd drive us home, but that's thirty minutes away, and I'm pretty tired as well."

LaFontaine didn't say anything, they just nodded their head before following Perry into the guest room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find us on tumblr - bibecamitchell and misssuchaflirt


End file.
